39TH REPORT: EUROPEAN WINE: A BETTER DEAL
FOR ALL: FINAL REPORT WITH EVIDENCE
Letter from Margot Wallström, Vice-President
of the European Commission to the Chairman
The Commission would like to congratulate the
European Union Committee (Environment and Agriculture) of the
House of Lords for the excellent and in depth contribution to
the debate on the efforts to achieve a sustainable European wine
sector. The Commission's proposal for a Council Regulation on
the common organisation of the market in wine in COM(2007) 372
final of 4 July 2007 has been subjected to a thorough examination
as well as the views of numerous witnesses from all spectrums
of the administrations and stakeholders throughout the European
Union on the wine sector in general.
The Commission welcomes:
— the broad support of the Committee
for most of the Commission's ideas following the first reading
of the Commission's proposal published on 23 July 2007 in "European
Wine: A Better Deal for All Volume I: Report";
— the wide range of views collected
by the Members of the European Union Committee of the House of
Lords and published in "European Wine: A Better Deal for
All" Volume II Evidence on 23 July 2007; and
— the broad support repeated in the
Final Report With Evidence published on 30 October 2007, following
the examination of witnesses from the Ministry for Sustainable
Farming and Food on 25 July 2007.
The Portuguese Presidency of the Council obtained
political agreement on its compromise package in the Council (Agriculture)
on 19 December 2007 following receipt of the Opinion of the European
Parliament.
The Commission takes note of the emphasis placed
by the Committee on the need for increased competitiveness in
the EU wine sector and of need for change within the industry.
It welcomes the support for the proposals or the abolition of
distillation, national envelopes, grubbing-up, the transfer to
the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the changes
in wine classification and labelling, on wine making practices
and on the single farm payment even if in some cases the support
is nuanced.
During the negotiations leading to the compromise
reached by Ministers important concerns of the House of Lords
as outlined in the final report such as the issue of enrichment
of the alcoholic strength of wine using sucrose (chaptalisation)
were taken into account. Increased flexibility for the UK wine
sector to increase production without triggering negative regulatory
provisions was also introduced in the context of the compromise
on the ban on new plantings.
The Commission thanks the Committee for its
substantial contribution and constructive approach to reforming
the EU wine sector.
28 February 2008
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